Local Comprehensive Plan | May 20, 2025

Watch the meeting. AI supported summary below. Corrections welcome.

Six of the Local Comprehensive Plan Committee's fourteen members voted to adopt the Local Comprehensive Plan at its May 20, 2025 meeting.

It now goes to the Planning Board on Monday, June 9th at 7:00 PM. It will then go the Town Council.

The meeting focused on final edits to the draft plan. A representative sample of the nature of the discussion and changes is as follows:

• Discussion regarding the use of "equitable" versus "equal" in the community vision statement
• Update the high crash location data
• Remove a specific line about the Bridge Creek Conservation Area due to concerns about the study and its potential impact on private wells
• Reviewed comments from the adult community center staff, making tweaks to the language regarding transportation and terminology
• Added "more" to the phrase "develop the need to develop more new public well sites"
• A question was raised about the lack of discussion regarding large new apartment buildings, and it was clarified that the plan reflects community feedback prioritizing redevelopment opportunities and smaller-scale development. 

Less than half of the Committee voted on the Plan

• Seven of the fourteen Committee members attended, and talked about the final changes to the plan.
• Six of the fourteen Committee members voted to approve the Plan after Chair Northcross recused herself in the last few minutes of the meeting. Chair Northcross participated in the committee discussion since 2022. She rescued herself from the housing issue discussion at the February 2025 meeting and participated in that discussion at the May 2025 meeting. At the very end of this meeting, Chair Northcross recused herself from voting on Plan.

Public Comment

Councilor Betty Ludke commented on the plan's realism, expressing concern that the plan is overly optimistic ("unicorn and marshmallow land") and doesn't adequately address existing challenges like water quality issues and high levels of phosphorus (PFAS) pollution. She advocated for a more realistic assessment of the town's constraints and existing conditions to inform planning decisions.

"Why don't we say these things in this plan while recognizing the existing conditions honestly?"

"We have lots of happy talk but reality must inform our planning; this isn't sustainable."

"...let's have a plan that's based in reality that recognizes the problems we're dealing with..."

Another public commenter raised concerns about affordable housing, questioning the definition of "affordable" and how it will be achieved given the town's median salary. The commenter expressed opposition to large housing projects, citing potential strain on resources like water, fire departments, and schools. The commenter also questioned the feasibility and legality of designating housing specifically for the workforce, suggesting it could lead to discrimination.

The Committee said the LCP is not a plan, it is "guidance"

In reply to public comment, one Committee member said

"Cape Cod is at build out...It's turning into Long Island..."

Committee members emphasized the importance of the town council developing a strategic plan and said the Local Comprehensive Plan was not a plan.

"The plan is a guidance document"

"Incorporate every idea possible, even if they don’t seem feasible right now; they may be later."

Editor's note: The Town Code does not call for a Council Strategic Plan. At the last Council strategic planning process a few years ago run by former President Levesque, there was no public comment opportunity. At that meeting, thirteen (13) Councilors collectively had 90 minutes to speak to nine (9) core and complex municipal issues (finance, housing and so on). Former President Levesque explained that he concluded that Strategic Planning process by Councilor emails sent to him. Councilor Clark questioned the link between that Strategic Plan and the many plans the town allocates time and resources to develop with citizen input (i.e., Open Space Plan, Housing Production Plan, Local Comprehensive Plan, etc.)

Committee members called the 363 page Plan a "beast" and a "monster."

"I can't read it all the way through either. I've gone through it after each revision, and I don't think I have once been able to read it through. It usually takes at least three, break it up into three days and two cups of coffee each time I'm reading it."

The Planning Department staff noted it is working on ways to make it more digestible, including a "story map" that will be on the Town website. The Town staff also handed out a concise Action Plan summary at the last round of public comment meetings, which may be available at town hall.